Pumpkin Saviors
by Arytra
Summary: Conner, Kira, and Ethan take the kids trick or treating, but legends don't seem to want to stay legends.  Takes place in the Power Mentors universe.


Disclaimer: I own nothing other than Neen and Dante. It belongs to Disney and Saban. But not me.

Author's Notes: This takes place within the Power Mentors Universe after the fifth chapter of _Mentoring Rangers 101_. The only reason that matters is so that you understand where Dante came from. Oh yes and Happy Halloween everyone!

**Pumpkin Saviors**

"How did we get roped into this again?" Ethan asked as he put on the helmet. Kira snickered as she finished putting hers on as well, making sure to keep the visor down. They were dressed in the duplicate costumes that had been made for them in case of an emergency. Conner was already dressed in his, looking a little smug over the whole thing. Ethan glared over at him. "And how were we allowed to do this?"

"Doctor O said if we were willing to take them, then the least they could do is supply the costumes," Kira reminded him. "Which is why we're going to be walking around as if we were Rangers again."

"Rangers on a mission," Conner agreed looking thrilled. Out of all three, he looked the most excited exactly like his old self again. "A delicious mission."

"We're supposed to get candy for the kids, not for you," Kira scolded before bring the visor up so he could see her smirking. "Not that there's much of a difference."

"Hey!" Conner argued. "You're just jealous."

"I am not jealous," Kira answered, rolling her eyes and glanced toward the doorway. "Kid alert."

The two youngest members looked excited in their new costumes, both bouncing on their toes as they looked on. They were both dressed in mini versions of the outfits with Neen in blue and Dante in red. They were each carrying a candy bag and looked at the elder members with a sense of excitement. Dante had been trick-or-treating before which meant that he'd been carrying on to Neen for the past week. Unfortunately for the teenagers, that meant that they had two extremely excited kids who were ready to go.

"Are you finished preparing, Conner?" Neen asked. It wasn't as if Conner was her favorite, but she tended to follow Ranger order which meant that she tended to ask her Uncle Jason or Uncle Tommy for their group if it wasn't something she could ask her father. The same went for Seth on the new team.

"We're almost ready, Neen," he assured her. "Some people just take forever."

"Haha," Kira snorted. "You ready, Ethan?"

"Yep," he answered, looking ready. "Did you guys tell Billy and the others that we're going?"

"Yeah," Dante answered. "They said okay. You can ask them."

"I'll just let them know," Conner answered. "Kim, Tommy, Billy, the rest of you, we're going!"

"Be careful!" Came the resounding answer and Conner sighed, shaking his head.

"They have no faith in us," he said. Kira and Ethan looked at him, though it was Kira who answered.

"Understandably."

* * *

"So we merely walk up to the door, knock, recite 'trick or treat' and receive sugary confections?" Neen asked. Conner brought his visor up so she could see him smile at her. 

"Yes. And no more Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for you," he teased. She smiled sweetly as she knew he was referring to her term for candy. "It's great! It's free!"

"Don't eat anything unpackaged," Ethan warned. "You don't want to get poisoned or something."

"And stay by us," Kira agreed. "No running off."

Both of the kids shook their heads wildly. Neither of them tended to leave their guardians' sides anymore since Conner and Ethan had been taken. They realized that it wasn't Neen's fault, but they figured it couldn't hurt to be careful and good so that no one was taken away by evil space ladies again. Conner shrugged and grinned, not noticing how worried they were about it. "Besides that, have fun!"

"Why is Papa so worried about it then?" Neen asked and the other three shrugged.

"Kim mentioned something about bad memories," Kira answered. "I'm guessing it involved a monster."

Neen nodded and went back to looking around. Several of the houses were decorated for the event and looked both scary in some places and just fun in others. Jack O' Lanterns sat in front of various houses, lit for the event. She pointed at the various pumpkins and back at her guardians. "We made those."

"We did," Conner agreed.

"What is the point of a Jack O' Lantern?" She asked and the other two teens looked at Ethan.

"What?" He asked and both of them crossed their arms. If any of the three knew, it would be Ethan and they were willing to bet he knew. After a moment of acting innocent, he grinned and began. "Well, a long time ago, people were worried about evil spirits coming to get them. Halloween is supposed to be a time when the boundary between this world and the spirit world is lessened. So, they began to hollow out turnips to scare the spirits away. That's the purpose of costumes too. Scary masks would scare them off."

"So, why are they pumpkins now and not turnips?" Neen asked and Ethan shrugged.

"Pumpkins are cooler," he answered. Kira rolled her eyes while Conner nodded.

"Makes sense," he agreed. "Considering the world we live in, I think I like Jack O' Lanterns more now."

Ethan nodded. "Yeah. I definitely like it more."

Kira rolled her eyes. "Guys, it's just a story. It's only superstition. Relax."

Ethan pointed at the pumpkins. "As long as they're lit, I will," he answered as his former teammate threw up her arms.

"You guys are impossible. Neen, Dante, it was just a story. They're pumpkins that people carve because it's fun and they like the taste of pumpkins seeds. Okay?" She asked and they nodded. "Good. Now, let's go."

"Somebody's a Halloween Grump," Conner muttered, knowing full well that Kira could hear him.

"Do you want free candy or not?" She snapped and both boys shrugged, nodding. "Then let's go. I swear, they stuck me with Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum."

* * *

"Thank you for the sugary items," Neen said. "We appreciate it." 

"Much better than the apple we got from the last house," Dante agreed. "Or the toothbrush."

The woman just smiled and nodded at the children before shutting the door. Kira looked at Dante. "Are you going to whine about that toothbrush to everyone?"

"I would," Conner muttered. "Who gives a toothbrush?"

He grunted as she elbowed him in the stomach. "Not helping," she hissed before turning back to the other two. "At least he gave you something."

"Better than the 'No solicitations' people," Ethan agreed before turning on Conner. "I can't believe you did that!"

"Legally, I did nothing and you can't prove it was me," Conner said and looked at Neen. "Right?"

"Aff… yeah. I made sure," she assured him. "Though I am still confused on why you had me add a channel and hope that his wife pays the bills."

"Uh… I'll explain it to you when you're older," Conner said quickly. "Anyway, I warned him."

Kira rolled her eyes. "You're not going to do that to every house, are you?" She asked and Conner shook his head.

"Of course not. It just seemed rude. I mean, if you don't want kids to drop by, turn your lights off or something, you know? A sign that says you're out of candy maybe. Just, don't be rude about it. It's Halloween. It's not solicitation on Halloween! Besides, they threatened to call the cops on those kids for doing it. Didn't seem right and the term is '_Trick_ or Treat," Conner exclaimed.

Ethan nodded in agreement until Kira turned a look his way. At that point, he was smart enough to abandon his friend and quickly shook his head instead. Neen looked up at them. "Well, when the evil spirits attack, they will not be protected. They had no pumpkin," she informed them. "Nor a mask."

Conner snickered at that before quickly turning into older brother mode and waving a finger at her. "Now, Neen. We're not supposed to wish people ill," he reminded her, trying to conjure up what his former science teacher would say.

"You're impossible," Kira told him and he shrugged, though grinning. They continued on their way from house to house, gathering more candy than the two kids should eat in month before they reached the end of the street. Kira turned to them. "Well, that's it."

To her slight dismay, and growing amusement, there were four groans instead of two. She put her helmet in her hands again and shook her head. Both of her teammates were overgrown children. Before she could add anything, she felt a slight chill and shivered a bit. To her surprise, Conner and Ethan were as well and both kids were shaking. Ethan motioned to the younger two. "I think it's getting late and it's definitely getting colder."

Kira nodded. "We should get them home," she agreed. Conner, to her slight surprise, didn't protest. The street was barren by this point and for some reason that worried the former Yellow Ranger even more. "Quickly."

They rushed down the street, keeping a hold of both Dante and Neen as they did so. Neen tugged on Kira's arm. "Kira, the pumpkins are not lit."

"Neen, it was a story. It's okay," she muttered. Still, she felt her other hand squeeze Conner's in a less than convincing manner. Conner felt Dante's hands cling to his own and with the brave act he was putting on, he had to admit that he was definitely freaked out.

"Then why are all of the people missing?" Neen insisted. A whimper from Dante told them that the little boy was just as scared. Though unable to see their faces, the teens looked at each other not quite knowing what to say. Although she was scared, Kira knew that she was going to end up being the most rational about this. Conner was already in leader mode from the possibility of a threat while Ethan's mind was probably grasping around for something that he'd heard in helping to rid themselves of an evil spirit.

"They probably just went home," Kira answered, putting as much belief as possible into the statement. "Where we should be going."

"Kira's right. We should get home. But… don't let go of us unless we say, okay?" Conner ordered and the two children nodded. "Good."

"Mr. Conner," Dante started. Conner thought about correcting him, but decided against it for the moment. "Can't you beat it up like you did the bad monsters?"

"Yeah, of course," Conner answered. "We just don't want you guys to get hurt in the process."

"Oh. Okay," Dante said and Conner felt the boy's grip weaken. He winced inwardly at that forgetting how much the child trusted him to keep them safe. He looked over at Ethan.

"Hey, plan?" He asked and could tell even through the helmet that Ethan looked a little worried.

"Umm… Masks and pumpkins were supposed to get rid of them," he explained. "I'm not sure how to fight one without it."

"We relight the candles," Kira answered and Conner nodded. "Not that I believe in this but…"

"Hey, Babe?" Conner asked, ignoring her hidden glare. "What's that then?"

It was large, at least eight feel tall and as long as a horse on top of that. It had four legs and two arms, like a centaur, yet its face was dog-shaped and black feathers gave it a mane on its back. Its eyes glowed green, which after watching any videos or listening to any stories about their mentor, was definitely the scariest color for them. Its hands were like a bird's talons with five fingers and it had a scorpion like tail. Ram horns made their way through the feathered mane and its legs were cat-like, yet hooved. It had armor covering it's chest and when it opened its mouth, a horrible noise like a scream from Hell burned through their ears.

The three teenagers stared for a minute before Conner turned to Neen. He pulled something out of the sack he'd been carrying and handed it to her: a normal lighter. Ethan had a normal flashlight in his, but Conner always liked having some other form of light with them incase something evil ate batteries. While Kira and Ethan stood in front, he looked at he two children. "Do either of you know how to use this?" He asked.

Dante nodded, but Neen tilted her head to the side. "But Conner, Papa and Hayley said not to play with fire," she reminded him. Conner nodded.

"And you shouldn't. But you're not playing right now. You're doing a huge, important job," he explained. He turned his helmet to Dante. "Do your best and be careful. This is super important. We'll hold him off for you, but you need to get them lit."

"Okay, Mr. Conner," Dante answered seriously. He took the lighter from Conner and started to head off. Conner turned his attention to Neen.

"You need to protect him," he told her. "He's got a job to do, but so do you. Just… use those abilities from your mom, okay? You can do this."

"What about you?" She asked and Conner shrugged.

"It's our job to make sure you're safe, right?" He answered. "Light them. If it doesn't work, run."

"Affirmative, Conner," she answered and Dante took her hand, halfway dragging her off. Conner turned his attention back to his two teammates who were being thrown around by the spirit. To make matters worse, the creature just laughed as if the entire thing was one big joke to him. Conner clenched his fists and ran into the battle, doing his best to help, but none of the three could lay a hand on it.

They were thrown away from him and into each other. Conner dragged himself back up and looked at Ethan. "I though masks were supposed to work too," he reminded his friend. Ethan shrugged.

"Scary masks," he reminded him. "It's supposed to scare them off. Even evil spirits have probably seen Power Rangers."

"Try a Pterascream, Kira," Conner suggested and the girl did so. It seemed to have little effect other than pushing it away from them slightly. Conner punched the ground in frustration. At this rate, it would tear them apart within a remarkably short period of time. It came toward them, but stopped right before them, screeching wildly. It backed up and tried again, less in pain this time, but still unwilling to go further.

"What's going on, Ethan?" Kira asked their only expert who less than helpfully shrugged and looked at it. He glanced around to try to figure it out while the other two stood even more ready to take it on if it came. Not much was different. They were standing where they were and it wasn't that far away from where it had been. The spirit screeched again and retreated further when Ethan saw the pain, as if it had been burnt. It charged the other way, but screamed again after it passed two houses. Ethan's brain clicked on and he saw what the two had done. Dante still had the lighter and Neen had a candle. At some point, they had split up, each taking one side. While the teens were fighting, the children had lit four pumpkins at first, trapping it in a box of sorts. Now they were lighting the others, pushing it back into the depths of Hell. Yet, until they were all lit, both of the children were technically inside the box with it.

His second realization was that the spirit knew that and charged at Neen who threw out the candle within the Jack O' Lantern she was closest to and put her lit one inside, holding it in front of her. It reached the barrier and shot away from it as if it had been made from fire. Neen, for her part, just held it in front of her. However, when the spirit went after Dante who was attempting to finish his side, she let the pumpkin go and used telekinesis to shoot it into his hands. Dante felt more than a little surprised, but he just held it. The spirit halfway roared as it charged around, seemingly blind and deaf, unknowing what it was truly doing.

Conner used his speed and ran to Dante, taking the pumpkin and rushed back to Neen, handing the empty pumpkin's corpse to her while he took the candle. He shielded the flame and finished her side for her, playing the candle back within the original pumpkin once he'd finished. Even the Jack O' Lantern that Neen had borrowed the lit candle from had been lit.

Both children had rushed over to Kira and Ethan who kneeled down and held the two children to them, protecting them from anything that might happen next. They felt Conner's arms around them and knew that he was protecting all of them. Even without watching, the heard the spirit give out a final, horrible screech before exploding. Conner turned around in time to see the ground swallow up what was left. He let the others go and fell back, laughing. Kira and Ethan let go a few seconds later and even the children looked at the red Ranger. Kira tiredly put her hands on her hips. "Conner! What are you laughing about?"

"We… won…" he managed to spit out. Kira threw up her arms and looked at him.

"You're laughing because we won?!" She demanded. Conner shook his head.

"No," he answered, calming himself down. "I'm laughing because some of Ethan weird geek knowledge actually came in handy."

Conner didn't know what the blue blur coming at him at impossible speeds was until his friend was on top of him.

* * *

Conner rubbed his chin, knowing it would bruise a bit. Oddly enough, Ethan hadn't meant to hurt him in anyway that left a mark, but the wrestling had caused Conner's head to slam into Ethan's knee and it was inevitable. Even he'd admitted that he probably deserved it. He glanced at the two children. "So, when the adults ask you what happened, what do you say?" 

"We went Trick or Treating," Neen answered. Conner nodded.

"And?" He asked and Dante went next.

"And we got lots of candy," he answered.

"And?" Conner pushed. Both of the children sighed.

"And there were no monsters, spirits, or stories about why we make Jack O' Lanterns and Ethan fell into you and you dragged Kira which is why you are hurt," they chorused. Kira looked at Ethan who shrugged back. They had all taken off the helmets by this point. Neither of the other two liked the idea of lying but…

"And why are we doing this?" He finished and both of the kids look earnest and a little worried at the answer.

"So that we are able to go Trick or Treating next year without Papa or Uncle Tommy calling Mr. Wes and Mr. Eric and the rest of the Silver Guardians to take us," she answered. Conner nodded approvingly.

"Good. Here. Have a Twix," he told both of them, pulling one out for each of them. They each took one, thanking him. Conner grinned.

"Happy Halloween."


End file.
